Hackers stole up to $ 600 million from the US company Poly Network. In doing so, they apparently took advantage of a vulnerability. According to Poly Network, it is the biggest theft in the history of cryptocurrencies.
Hackers apparently stole cryptocurrencies worth up to $ 600 million (EUR 510 million) in an attack in the United States. The US company Poly Network announced on Tuesday on the Internet platform Twitter that strangers had cracked its security measures and diverted the deposits of “tens of thousands” of customers to accounts they controlled. As the company later announced in another tweet, the hackers exploited a vulnerability. According to the company, it was the biggest theft in the history of cryptocurrencies.
Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are based on blockchain technology. This makes it possible to do without banks, since the transactions take place directly from user to user. However, the various currencies are often not used as a means of payment, but as an object of speculation and investment.
Poly Network urges hackers to return assets
“Dear hackers,” wrote Poly Network on Twitter. “We would like to contact you and ask you to return the assets that you hacked”. The company continued, “The authorities in each country will consider your wrongdoings a serious economic crime and you will be prosecuted.” The hackers should speak to the company “to find a solution”
The company, which specializes in the transfer of digital investments, called on other companies in the industry to avoid so-called tokens for the currencies Ethereum, BinanceChain and OxPolygon.
Poly Network, the US Department of Justice and the FBI did not immediately respond to inquiries from the AFP news agency.
According to calculations by Twitter users such as cybersecurity researcher and Ethereum expert Mudit Gupta, the value of the stolen tokens is around $ 600 million.
According to a report by the company CipherTrace, cryptocurrencies worth a total of $ 432 million were lost through theft, hacker attacks and fraud this year up to and including April.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
